2026 MAC Football Week 5 Game Preview: Akron Zips vs. Central Michigan Chippewas

October 4th, 2025 is a day that has lived in Central Michigan head coach Matt Drinkall's head.

The Central Michigan Chippewas took a tough loss to the Akron Zips on the road that day, allowing the home team to pile on 21-straight unanswered points in the second and third quarters to snatch CMU's early 10-7 lead away and keep them at arm's length to the end in what was ultimately 28-22 loss.

Now, the Chippewas (2-2, 0-0 MAC) get set to rematch with the team who most likely kept CMU from fighting for MAC title contention last season as they host the Akron Zips (1-3, 0-0 MAC) for both program's respective MAC opening games– 364 calendar days removed from that haunting game in question.

"I have thought about that game every day 50 times since because we weren't the best version of ourselves," Drinkall said during media availability this week. "There's a million reasons why, and I am obsessed over trying to make sure that those get corrected for that this time around."

"We have got to be the more desperate team to execute and play with the higher energy longer. ... [T]hey will have new wrinkles for us, things that will punch in the mouth. It is either too good a gameplan or not."

That sort of fire is something both teams will certainly feel in their bellies, as both Central and Akron lost in blowout fashion to their opponents last week and look to prove they're not as bad as the box scores of those games would indicate.

Game Notes

• Date and Time: Saturday, Oct. 3rd, 2026 at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time
• Location: Deromedi-Kramer Field at Kelly/Short Stadium in Mount Pleasant, Michigan
• TV options: The game will stream exclusively on the ESPN+ App. A valid subscription is required for viewing.
• Central Michigan radio: Adam Jaksa (play-by-play) and Brock Gutierrez (color) will provide the CMU call for WUPS-FM 98.5.
• Akron radio: Dave Skoczen (play-by-play) and Joe Dunn (color) will provide the Akron call for WHLO-AM 640.
• Gambling Considerations: Central is a 4.5-point favorite, with an over/under set around 46.5-47.5 by book, per Covers.
• All-Time Series: Central leads the all-time series at 19-11-1, with games dating back to 1961. Akron won the last contest 28-22 on home grounds in 2025, snapping a three-game losing streak (2019, 2022-23).

Akron Outlook

The Zips held up against a stronger UNLV admirably for one half of play last week before the wheels fell out from under them, giving up 24 unanswered points in the third and fourth quarters to lose 38-10 at home.

The second half was defined by Akron's mistakes, with two interceptions and a missed field goal while UNLV returned one pick for points and also scored a 59-yard blown coverage touchdown– one of two 40+ yard scores.

But the first half showed some decent promise, as the Zips defense forced two quick punts out of the four drives while the offense showed the ability to drive the ball against a solid UNLV defense, holding the ball for nearly 18 minutes of game clock over five possessions.

The results of those drives were less than ideal, with a turnover-on-downs, an end-of-half and an interception amongst their five possessions, but they managed 10 points to keep them in contention.

As of publication, the depth charts and injury reports are not out for Akron, but it is unlikely starting QB Cibastian Broughton plays this week, with backup QB Brayden Roggow likely in line for a second-straight week.

Broughton, if he can go, is the team's dual-threat option, with 380 passing yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, while also sitting second on the charts on 174 yards rushing (despite missing one game).

Roggow is an unapologetic gunslinger, finding a nice connection with Marcel Williams last week (six receptions, 83 yards) for nearly half of his completions as he attacked the UNLV defense deep early and often. The results themselves were mixed, as he finished with two interceptions and a 56 percent completion percentage, but there's promise there once he gets more experience under his belt.

The Zips offensive line, which is one of the worst in the NCAA in protection, has averaged 2.5 sacks allowed (including 3 last week) and seven TFLs allowed per game (126th in FBS). That's been a factor which has held them back in 2026.

Despite those struggles, halfback Jordan Gant looked more like his old self vs. UNLV after a slow start in the first three games, with 80 yards and a touchdown. He'll be crucial for the Akron RPO attack, as his versatility in both the pass and run is key to the system's success. Gant had 1,000+ yards from scrimmage in 2025, and gashed CMU for over 200 yards in last year's contest; he'll be circled as a focus for CMU's run-stop oriented defense.

Akron has several playmakers on the outside who could give CMU's secondary some pause, including the previously-mentioned Williams (18 catches, 165 yards), Kyan Mason (12 catches, 117 yards) and tight end Elijah Alexander (team-leading three touchdowns).

Defensively, this Akron team is a boom-or-bust unit, looking for quick stops on the front seven to force turnovers or punts. So far, it's been a lot of bust; the Zips sit at 126th in the country (second-last in the MAC) in passing defense, with 257.5 yards per game on average allowed and 10 touchdowns. That stat betrays their ability in other areas, as Akron is average in rushing defense and one of the better MAC teams in redzone defense. They'll have a chance to show off their muster in other areas against a CMU passing offense which is dead last in efficiency in the NCAA.

Linebacker Donelius Johnson has led the defense with 34 total tackles and 1.5 tackles-for-loss. EDGE rusher Cyrus Durham has slowly warmed into form after being out due to injury over the fist two games and should factor in. Durham had 31 tackles for 8.5 TFLs and three sacks. Defensive backs Catrell White and Alex Branch, two of their best starters, were out last week due to injury and are currently questionable to play this week, but Daunte Curtis and Aamii Branch have stepped up admirably.

Central Michigan Outlook

Central managed to punch the Miami Hurricanes in the jaw to start last week's contest, becoming the first team in 2026 to hold a lead over the juggernaut 'Canes. But the game soon became a blowout, as expected, giving the Chips their second loss on the season.

Head coach Matt Drinkall admitted their aim vs. Miami was more on getting big game experience and making sure the team got out healthy before redoubling focus on league play, but was nonetheless proud of his team's efforts.

Drinkall acknowledged for the future, he wants the offense to find more balance, as they've had to lean into the running game to find success thus far in 2026. As of publication, the Chippewas are dead last in the country in offensive efficiency and amongst the bottom of teams in the MAC in passing offense– though they do sit third in the MAC on the ground, something he remains adamant on building.

"[O]ur goal is to have the ability to be balanced," Drinkall said. "[Y]ou look back a year ago, Coach [Jim] Chapin has proven over the course of his career, he's one of the most effective, efficient passing play callers and designers as well... [W]e were first in the conference in explosive pass plays... So we're always are going to do what we need to do to win and hopefully we throw it."

Last week's game against Miami saw decent output, even if the results weren't there, with all three QBs combining for an 80 percent completion rate and 137 yards on 26 pass attempts. Even so, they'll still need to find a way to activate their receiving corps to be part of the equation. 2025 second-team all-MAC receiver Langston Lewis has just 43 yards on six receptions four games in to the season. Justin Ruffin Jr. leads the team on one more catch for three more yards, with 0 touchdowns through the air as a unit.

Senior quarterback Angel Flores, who was kept to a snap count last week, will be full-go to lead the Chippewas offense agaisnt Akron. The veritable team captain has helmed the ship handsomely, leading the team in both passing (123 yards) and rushing (320 yards, three touchdowns) in 2026, including a record-setting performance against Colgate two weeks ago, where he ran for 163 yards.

The Chips want to run often and do, with transfer backs Jayden Clearveax and Vaughn Blue both over 100 yards on the season and four backs in total on rotation. Blue (24 carries, 107 yards) was a late scratch last week with a lower-body contusion and will be questionable heading into the game, but he's worked well with Clearveaux (25 carries, 137 yards) to this point, averaging 5.5. yards per carry.

(Brock Townsend and Nick Woolford have also been contributors to step up due to injury.)

On defense, the Chippewas have thrived in causing turnover-worthy plays, with seven forced fumbles (two recovered) and four interceptions through four contests, while also holding steady in the redzone– giving up touchdowns on 12-of-16 trips and field goals on two additional trips.

CMU's secondary is one of the better in the conference through the first month, sitting at fifth with 208.5 yards per game on average, and should be the main focus for Akron. Their defensive back transfers have all been hits, with safety Justin Taylor (21 tackles, interception, two pass break-ups) and Darrell Bryant Jr. (25 tackles, interception, break-up, forced fumble) complimenting Jaion Jackson (12 tackles, TFL, three PBUs) in that regard. The unit has given up four touchdowns through the air over four weeks, admirable considering the talent they played last week.

The front seven has some intriguing pieces, including halfback-turned-defensive tackle Jaxon Cherry. Cheery got a 10-yard sack on Darian Mensah last week and has 14 tackles and 1.5 TFLs/sacks on the season, emerging as the starting DT over the weeks. Former tight end JJ Douglas is now the team's leader at defensive end due to injuries, with 14 tackles and three PBUs to joint-lead the team. CMU has five players on 20+ tackles, with linebacker Xavier White leading the way with 35 stops.

A major problem area has been on leverage downs; CMU has given up 49 percent on third-down plays and 80 percent on fourth down in 2026, amongst the worst teams in the conference in the statistic. In last year's contest, Akron sliced through the CMU secondary for easy conversions to keep drives going down the field, including 9-of-15 on third-down and 1-of-1 on fourth-down. This will need to be improved upon for a chance to win.

Game Outlook

Drinkall is very much aware of the difficulties of coaching against Akron's Joe Moorhead, admiring his ability to adjust to whatever he has on hand.

"[W]hat he does such a good job of is he finds things on film and then is able to install and teach them, or alter his stuff to where he exploits that, takes advantage," Drinkall said. "Man, he exposes the things you don't do well or you think you've got ruled up. He finds those, and he's really, really routine with it. I admire it a lot because I'm the exact opposite. ... I am a systems and process person... everyone in the stadium is going to know what we're doing. ... I'm wired the opposite. So when I see a guy who's really, really skilled at that, I admire it a great deal."

With this serving as the opening salvo in the conference for both teams, there is a lot of incentive to start on the right foot, especially for Central, who gets three of their first four games in MAC play at home.

We don't know how Akron's offense will look until we know who is under center for sure, but either way, Moorhead's challenging offense will give CMU's defense one of the more fascinating tests of the season.

This does feel like CMU is due for a win, but Akron at its most efficient is a dangerous team capable of an upset in the right game state.